Thrivapy: Live, Learn, Have Fun

T here is no shortage of videos and articles expressing the need to create an environment that does not fear failure in order to accomplish great things.  Some of these even speak directly to educators with the hope that teachers will nurture such an environment for their students.  I agree with many of these ideas, but I find that the conversation about eliminating the fear of failure in schools seems to be missing an important piece. Examples of overcoming fear of failure often include very inspirational concepts that are tested in labs under controlled environments.  Why do you think new aircraft are tested in unpopulated areas?  Sure, there is security involved, but there is also a safety net built in.  After all, if the experimental plane fails in the desert or falls into the ocean, the liability for the failure is limited.  If such a craft was tested over a major city and failed, then you may have an enormous problem. Limiting liability helps allow us to take chances.  If you

What is the difference between 0 and 1?  The most obvious answer, and the one most people would say, is 1.  Simple math will tell you that.  However, if you consider all the possible points along the way (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, etc.), your answer suddenly takes on a much different meaning.  In essence, the difference between 0 and 1 could be infinity. I have seen a number of articles recently about how to rethink failure as a means of inspiring innovation and discovery.  My observation is that there are two general ways failure has been examined.  The first is based on the idea that by not fearing failure, we can free ourselves to accomplish great things.  The second is that by accepting failure as a growth event, we learn more about how to get better and can sue those lessons to improve our work. Neither approach promotes failure as something we should want, but rather a natural part of development.  I tend to agree with that view.  However, such conversations can easily fall in

 W hen you teach a class, the best student response is an actively engaged participant who obviously enjoys the lesson or activity.  Of course, you may also see students going through the motions who obviously do not like the lesson or activity. If you ask both groups for feedback, you will likely get very good reviews and some not so good reviews. You may also think that the less than enthusiastic feedback is the worst response. It is not. The worst response is the non-response; the students who ignored your request. Positive feedback helps you judge whether or not to repeat that type of lesson.  Negative feedback helps you make adjustments so that lesson is more engaging next time. No feedback suggests no engagement at all. Don't design lessons that only get good reviews.  Design lessons that inspire a reaction from all students.

A highlighter marks text to bring attention to that which has been determined to be most important and valuable.  Highlighted text serves to draw attention to the parts you most want to remember. The end of every school year is a time for celebration and ceremony.  One of the benefits of ceremony is the opportunity to demonstrate symbolic leadership and highlight the aspects of your school. H ow does your school use its "highlighters?"

O f all the subjects written about, I rarely read about the happiness that comes from being a school administrator.  As a matter of fact, I don't think I have ever read an article about that specific topic.  This is somewhat disconcerting. As a school administrator, I wonder if happiness was a concept I gave up when I chose this path.  Maybe giving up happiness was in the fine print at the bottom of my internal contract to go the admin route.  Do administrators, essentially, inadvertently replace happiness with another emotion, like maybe satisfaction?  Of course one can be be happy and satisfied, but are school administrators generally able to experience both? Then I reflect on my work and I realize that may not be true.  I certainly enjoy my work.  It is satisfying.  I know it is making a difference.  However, is it bringing me happiness? R ecently, I used the video below as a conversation starter with a group of middle school students.  They were somewhat amazed that the

A few days ago, I read and shared an article by school leader Justin Tarte in which he highlights the importance of relationships within teams .  In the article, Dr. Tarte reminds us that strong relationships are a hallmark of strong teams.  I agree with Justin, and his post caused me to reflect for a moment about teams and leadership.  As such, here are a few thoughts of mine that, hopefully, will help add to Justin's insights. Thought #1 - With some positions on teams, leadership is expected.  In other positions, it is usually earned. Thought #2 - Whether leadership is expected or earned, a leader's actions tend to speak louder than words.  If you use words, use them wisely (and prudently). Thought #3 - The players may change, but the team remains. Thought #4 (and 5 and 6) - Since the players will change, if you care about the success of the team you need to keep these two things in mind: How well you do your part on the team will set the standard for your suc

O dds are... summer vacation and all the trappings of the end of the school year are creeping into your classroom. you are spending more and more time on next school year's projects than this year's. your have finished your textbook or have decided that finishing it is impossible. one more project or book to read for class is probably asking too much. you feel as if you have done all you can do for a struggling student at this point in the year. But remember it is often said, "If not for the last minute, very little would ever get done." D efy the odds and push through to the end.  It may only make a small difference, but that small difference could  be the one that makes ALL the difference to someone sitting in your class.

 R ecently, I had the pleasure of listening to a high school senior speak of the differences between the educational system in the United States and South Korea.  This student is South Korean.  Her family moved her to the United States four years ago. Given the world rankings for educational systems, I anticipated her report to back up those findings and to herald the South Korean system as superior to the one she experienced in the United States.  After all, even our own President has commented on how our system of education could learn a few things from the South Koreans. That did not happen. Her report, while recognizing the higher test scores by South Korean students, was mostly a personal endorsement of the value and opportunities she received by going to high school in the United States; opportunities she claims she would not have had in South Korea.  She praised the work of her teachers to be more than task masters who desire to help the whole child, not just reinforce

Info graphic credit: http://mindmapblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Mindsets.jpg I f your students resemble mine at all, when you ask them to set some goals for their classes, the majority of them will begin with something like, "I want to get an A in math" or "I want to earn a B in science." Goals like those are indicative of a fixed mindset which seeks to validate intelligence by achieving noteworthy scores.  While there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to do well in a class , research suggests that a more growth oriented mindset has many advantages (see info graphic above). So, as educators who work with students to set and attain goals, it helps to recognize these goals as opportunities to coach students to a better understanding of growth mindsets. Here are some tips to help you use goal setting as a means to adjust mindsets. 1.  Recognize that making good grades IS important.   Do not try to convince the student that their goal to &

M any successful products are seen as having found THE formula for success.  Either stumbled upon or developed over time, the formula is often seen as the key to success.  However, as Malcolm Gladwell points out in this TED talk , what we view as THE formula for success is often a diversity of formulas designed around the particular tastes/interests of a much wider group of potential customers. T ake Coke for example.  There is, of course, the famous formula for Coke Classic, which at one point was changed with disastrous results and quickly brought back (which is how we now have Coke Classic).  One may assume that Coke's enormous success is the result of THAT formula, and I would agree that MOST of Coke's success is due to that formula (and outstanding marketing/branding), but stop for a minute ans think about ALL the other flavors/formulas for Coke that exist today - Diet Coke, Caffeine Free Coke (and Diet), Cherry Coke, etc.... For students, teachers, and schools, su

 A t this time of year, a great many graduates get to hear wonderfully motivating commencement speeches at their graduation ceremonies.  A very good example is this one given by Guy Kawasaki this week . As commencement speeches, these are supposed to send students off to begin their journeys away from school - to impart some wisdom as students "commence" their non-academic lives.  However, I wonder if all of us couldn't benefit form a good commencement speech at certain intervals?  I wonder if there are times when a good commencement speech would be as valuable (if not more) than at a graduation ceremony. For example, maybe the better time to hear a well respected and accomplished person talk about looking ahead could be when we START school.  I would have enjoyed and listened more to the commencement address if it had been during my FIRST day of undergraduate school rather than the LAST.  Another potentially good time to hear a commencement address would be the fi

S o you have a goal in mind.  You are ready to make a plan and get to work. Hold on for just one moment.  Are yo experiencing a moment of spontaneous inspiration or a true moment of clarity to be explored further? Sure, there is nothing wrong with moments of spontaneous inspiration, but before you decide to transform that moment into a larger/long term goal, do a quick reality check. Do you have time in your day to add the work needed to fulfill that goal? If you think so, then double the time you THINK you need and recheck. Still good on time?  Yes?  Move forward and begin working. No?  You didn't have time originally or with the recheck?  What are you willing to give up in your day to replace with your new goal? If you can willingly  replace an old habit/plan with the new one, then continue and begin working. If you cannot willingly  replace an old habit with the new plan, then the new idea/inspiration is likely to become a source of frustration and doubt. I  ha

F irst, some historical background... At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, two plans were introduced for creating the legislative branch of the government.  One plan, the Virginia Plan, called for representation based on state size/population.  While large states favored this idea, smaller states did not and an alternative plan was presented, the New Jersey Plan.  The New Jersey Plan called for equal representation for each state.   Ultimately, a compromise was reached (called the The Great Compromise or the Connecticut Compromise of 1787) which established a bicameral legislature with one house of equal representation (The Senate) and the other house based on population (The House of Representatives). Ok, now you may be wondering, "How does this apply to education?" Well, as I read Seth Godin's Stop Stealing Dreams , I couldn't help but wonder if the debate over HOW and WHAT schools should do is not too unlike the debate held in 1787.  The delegates